Teachers' union has until end of week to respond before E. Haddam officials cut education budget

JEFF MILL, Press Staff

Published 12:00 am, Wednesday, April 7, 2010

HADDAM -- Town officials will make one final effort to meet with leaders of the teachers' union before taking action to cut the education budget.

The Board of Finance was ready Monday to take action to reduce school spending. However, during a meeting that attracted more than three-dozen residents and/or teachers, the board agreed to postpone action and instead try to convince union leaders to meet with the board.

Even as that effort was going forward, finance board Chairman Paul Maxwell said he is not inclined to vote for an increase in the budget unless the teachers offer to make some concessions.

"I'm not seeing this burden being shared by everyone," Maxwell said. "And I am not going to vote for an increase" unless there is evidence of a shared sacrifice.

He also said that, in the absence of input from the teachers' union, the board cannot make informed decisions.

"I think we're getting stonewalled," he said. "I don't think we are getting the full information. And unless we have all the information, we will make poor decisions."

"Twice, I have requested that someone from the union attend these meetings, and I have been rebuffed," Maxwell said.

Opinion during the hearing was fairly evenly divided -- and equally passionate.

Such a large group turned out that finance officials had to move from the cramped meeting room in the Town Hall annex to the more spacious Grange Hall.

While they welcomed the turnout, finance board officials publicly questioned why some many residents waited so long to come forward and express themselves on the budget issues.

Local innkeeper Colin Kagel needed no prompting.

"The rules of the game have changed," he said. "The paradigm has shifted."

"This country is under a tax revolt because people are sick and tired of paying for what they don't get," Kagel said.

Wylie Peckham shared Kagel's point of view.

Ticking off a misery index of foreclosures and unemployment, Peckham said, "The people in East Haddam are in financial difficulty."

"I can't understand why you want to take money from people who are in financial difficulty and give it to people who are doing quite well," he added.